


The Lane of Memories are decorated by Forget-me-not Flowers

by Cornus_florida



Series: Vergissmeinnicht/Wasurenagusa [1]
Category: Tokyo Ghoul
Genre: F/M, Forget-me-not flowers, Touken Week
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-01
Updated: 2018-01-03
Packaged: 2019-02-26 05:17:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13228851
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cornus_florida/pseuds/Cornus_florida
Summary: The first meaning of Forget-me-not flower, 'The growing affection between two people'





	1. The Beginning of Growing Affection between Two People

**Author's Note:**

> The first meaning of Forget-me-not flower, 'The growing affection between two people'

**The Beginning of Growing Affection between Two People**

 

 

That evening is unusually the quite one. Some warm sunlight penetrated big windows that Anteiku have, showering all staff with it’s light. Kaneki Ken is a new staff in this cafe, nervously fidgeting several pack of something. One customer drinks his coffee and give encouraging smile after being served with the best coffee in town. The only customer in Anteiku is just his best friend, Hideyoshi Nagachika. Their exchanging glance really like they are scheming something.

“Ex-excuse me, everyone! I-I want to share something today” shout Kaneki break the peaceful evening. All head stare at Kaneki, eyeing the packs with ribbon that really look like a warm handmade cookies packed sweetly to share. Irimi stare with a confused face still washing dishes. Koma’s mop nearly jumps out from his hand. Manager’s hand slowly put the jar of hot water to stove. Touka really like to throws her napkin to Kaneki’s face right now - for sudden interrupt at her work clean up the tables.

“What Bakaneki like to share? Cookies?!” Touka said angrily. This dude really gets her nervous. Is he want to relive his live as human and unconsciously gives poison to all staff? He should knows well that all Anteiku staff are ghouls. Cookies taste like shit, a combination of rat poison and rat own carcass. Is anyone want to lick the source of awful smell with some crumbly material that responsible to make smell and death happen?

“N-nope, it’s actually some seeds” reply him weakly. Kaneki at quick pace give everybody with a pack of seeds, each with different ribbon color. Irimi's got the red ribbon, Koma's got the yellow one, Manager got the yellow one, and Touka got a pack that tied with a pale blue ribbon. Everyone confused with Kaneki's doing. They just eyeing the pack nervously and treat it like it actually contain bomb or something. 

Hide exclaim to shed confusion, "This dude blows away all his first paycheck to brought pack of seeds hahaha! Those are forget-me-not flower seeds from an Alzheimer foundation on the way here. Ah how noble his money went~”.

“It’s not like that! I just feel the need to help that foundation. It’s must be awful to have broken memories like people with Alzheimer.. The important thing is I want to celebrate I got work with you all” said Kaneki.

That foundation is need some money and they try to improve the donation involving forget-me-not, flower that symbolize the memories that Alzheimer patients try to hold. Alzheimer's is a type of dementia that causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior. Symptoms usually develop slowly and get worse over time, becoming severe enough to interfere with daily tasks. That foundation helps treatments for symptoms and help the funds for Alzheimer’s research continues. Although current Alzheimer's treatments cannot stop Alzheimer's from progressing, they can temporarily slow the worsening of dementia symptoms and improve quality of life for those with Alzheimer's and their caregivers. Fundraising like what is needed for foundation like that to improve the Alzheimer patient’s life qualities and his families (Souce about Alzheimer: https://m.alz.org/what-is-alzheimers.asp?sp=true)

Manager said deeply, “I hear some other time you got pickpocket, those money should go to yourself. You shouldn’t do this, Kaneki-kun”

“Actually I didn’t blows away all my paycheck sir” said Kaneki quietly while holding his chin. Touka just fidgeting the pack though, unsure what should to do. She still keeps the gesture ‘to not welcoming Kaneki’.

“If you say so, thanks for your gift!” thanks Koma and irimi cheerfully.

Kaneki glances Hide, didn’t know what to do next. The next step of scheme should go on. Hide catch on and take a pack of seeds. He got one like what Kaneki share before. Hide untie his own pack of seed that he saves in his own pocket. He pull a folded card inside the pack, with a purple color like the ribbon. The card is actually a sheet of plant care guide. “Nah everyone, just do the same like what I did earlier. If you didn’t want to spread the seeds soon, please tie the pack again tightly” explain Hide.

Koma is the first one mimicking Hide’s actions earlier. He read the simple tips to grows forget-me-not. He mumbling “Ah.. So this plant loves shade huh?”

Irimi reads the Plant Care Sheet slowly, “Forget-me-not needs much water and some moist soil hmm..”

Manager stare the front side of his cafe. Probably he thinks to grows forget-me-not there. But this flowers shouldnt plant in the edge of a path. Customers could be cynical when walked too close, spent time to removing the clinging Forget-me-not seeds from their pants or skirts.

Touka is the last one to open her pack of seeds. She actually take a seat and unties the ribbon slowly. When she pull the folded card, she surprised to found a neat handwritten on the back of the card. Those rows of text look like be wrote by Kaneki. What this man trying to do? Is not like she’ll open up soon with just a pack of weird things.

__May you grows those Forget-me-not flowers to help remind what you really are and your own goal_ _

__Don’t let revenge and hatred towards my mind towards ghouls distract it_ _

__I’ll try to be better person_ _

__I want to understand ghouls better_ _

__I know you are the right person to help me_ _

Kaneki stares her nervously, prays silently she didn’t kick him out or other negative replies. Unconsciously she blush madly reads those kind words he write. She avoids Kaneki intense gazes. She’s thanks him with a voice like a whisper “Th-Thanks, Kaneki”. Kaneki smiles lit up upon hears her response. She folds the cards and tie the pack quickly, continues her shift. Kaneki is called by Manager, given a sudden shift stop. Manager asks everyone to going home sooner. Manager feels there’s no customer today. He like to spread Forget-me-not seeds too as the sunlight still shining.

All staff prepare to going home. In the charge room Touka thinks silently, thinks about Kaneki. ‘He actually a nice person. Am I should keep the act to hostile against him. Is not his fault suddenly be a ghoul, he is a victim, so why I keep trying to make him the villain that change to be a ghoul as an act? He tries to understand… He believes I could help him. What I can do him though? Be a white rabbit to helps his adventure to exploring ghoul world ? Ghoul’s world actually a dark world..

On the trip of Kaneki back to his partement with Hide...

 

“Hey man, I see what you did there. So you write on the back of blue’s one? A Is that a secret love letter to Touka-chan?” winks Hide cheerfully.

“N-no. It’s not what you think it is” stutters Kaneki.

“She’s blushing madly when read that! My boy finally!”

Kaneki just speechless. Hide stops his tease and change topic “It’s rare you back sooner, want to watch movies tonight?

 _ _It’s just.. I don’t think I could make hostile act to ends, let alone dates her. I don’t think I even to her…’__ thinks Kaneki.


	2. This Preserved Change is the Reminders of My Favorite Memories with You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Like an oshibana, you need to add pressure for it to change. An once changed, it will never return.  
> Kaneki and Hinami collaborate to make a surprise for Touka

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second meaning of Forget-me-not flowers. I like to knows what you think about my fic, and I hope you enjoys read it. Sorry for any mistakes I made. For second prompt of Touken Week 2018 "Change"

Today is just a peacefull one. No planning, no killing. Just a chill day that those group need after a big action. A quite morning in Kaneki’s safehouse. Banjou and his friends just went to buy necessities that running low in house. Tsukiyama went to his house and claim to have routine makeover et cetera – God knows what rich do as a routine. There’s just two people in the safehouse right now. Our little Hinami that still slumbers in her sleep and Kaneki. Kaneki looks busy with several posies of small flowers. There’s Osmanthus, Freesias, Forget-me-not (Wasurenagusa) waft their sweet smell. Those flowers are gifts from Tsukiyama that he keeps not be thown up like what he usually did. Kaneki thinks those could be usefull for craft he tries to make, Oshibana. Oshibana is a Japannesse skill from to press up flowers and use up as decorations for any handcraft.  
There’s sound of water running. And little steps down the stairs. Hinami already wakes up. Kaneki’s calm demeanor shatters. He shouldn’t surprised with an interuption. But this morning is too silent, even a small noise disrupt him. A cutter, two scissors, and several papers that needed by Kaneki to make scatters in every side of table. He takes a long breath, and release it slowly – a simple act that help ease mind. A calm mind is vital. Kaneki thinks that it would be more easy if he let Hinami join him make Oshibana.  
“Onii-chan, what are you doing?” asks Hinami cheerfully. Kaneki let her eyeing his craft. He just picks up flowers branch that looks good enough to use up. He replies Hinami question “I just prepare to make Oshibana, Hinami-chan.’  
“Onee-chan made something similar like this but bigger! She like put magic to her school project. That pink flower turns to be purple in a week!” exclaim Hinami.  
“I remember her school project. She made a herbarium. And what I made isn’t a herbarium, it’s oshibana” explain Kaneki  
“What difference between Oshibana and Herbarium then, Onii-chan?” chatter her.  
“First, the plants that being used. Herbarium could use any kinds of plants actually. You could press Algaes and Moss even.  
While Oshibana prefer to use plants that have minimum moist and water content. These flowers could be use as Oshibana if we did the right steps. I feel these flowers is perfect. The moisture could dry up quickly, and” Said Kaneki while point up flowers in the table.   
In herbarium you need to preserve all bodies of plants if possible. The minimal is you have three healthly organs that looks representative enough.   
Oshibana just need several parts of flowers. Leaves and branch is fine if there’s a feel to use it  
their small size is so flexible to be used as anything  
The good herbarium is need to make sure all moisture is gone, and the one sign of it is that preserved plant turn completely brown.  
“The techniques to make Herbarium is much more simple. Just set plant as schematics as possible on old newspaper. Sprays some preserving alcohol evenly then press it up with something that wide and quite heavy. Keep   
“Onee-chan birthday is drawing near. I want to make that craft. I like to give her something. She’s really care me back then..” saids Hinami dreamly.  
“I will explain how to make Oshibana, Hinami-chan. It’s actually quite simple but please follows me if you didn’t want to lose steps” smiles Kaneki.  
“First let’s prepare our plant drying necessities, Hinami-chan. We need some newspapers to absorbs water moisture. This foam is needed to make sure water absorbtion are gradate. Oil papers is essential to keep natural humidity not gone immediately. And this zip-lock  
Like an oshibana, you need to add pressure for it to change. An once changed, it will never return.  
After that bridge incident Touka feels horrible. She just blast away her chance to had Kaneki back to Anteiku, as a person she knows in the past. The kind guy that smile a lot, did kindness a lot is long gone. Those pressure from Ghoul world really change him. All tortures in his days at Aogiri, that bastard Yamori sick mind do to Kaneki. A black hair that turn up completely be a full white.  
“Touka, there’s still a gift left for you” calls Manager while holds an envelope. Touka realize she keeps stunning then she slowly approach Manager and thanks him. She still shocked after knowing that Kaneki of all people gives her a gift. A rabbit keychain for her birthday that she wonders how he knows. And there’s one gift. Touka opens the envelop and found a bookmark inside. There’s a simple letter with Hinami handwriting tell that she collaborate with Kaneki, made a bookmark with decoration that called oshibana as her thanks for Touka’s care.  
In the back of the bookmark are shoudou style text with a pray charm for exam luckiness. That bookmark is somewhat simple yet pretty with a grey ribbon that adorned it. In each tip of ribbon are blue beads with the shape like a heart and a star. There’s little blue flowers decorate the front side. A stalk with a leaf is placed curvely in the slim bookmark. A flower it being cut in half and looks like butterflies gives ease vibrant it flies happily around. She mutters knowing these flowers. Myosotis.  
She did a little research about these flowers at the school library so she knows the genus. She remembers those flowers as seed plants that Kaneki gives to everyone long time ago. Forget-me-not flowers that Manager spread grows nicely. A wave of blues that will happily accept it giver to his old workplace. But he choose not return yet he use these for his craft. The flowers of memories, Wasurenagusa.   
This craft must need pressure to change fresh plants to be thin and dry. The pressure make sure plants be changed. But the change is irrevisible. The dry will never return back to fresh one. Is it his way of saying that he never return?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a drawing to accompany this fic at Tumblr. You could visit my tumblr at : https://www.tumblr.com/blog/cornus27florida


	3. Don’t Make those Lost Memento as Remembrance during Parting, or worse, the Death

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Touka deals with memento from Kaneki, the one that got lost.  
> By the dead soldier is a picture of the soldier’s sweetheart, Steffi, who has autographed the picture with her name and the German message ‘Vergissmeinnicht’, ‘forget me not’.  
> The imagined mourning of Steffi, the girl whom the soldier leaves behind is such tragedies indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic is try to blends the lost prompt with Forget-me-not third meaning, “The remembrance during parting/death”.

One day Banjou and his friends; Ichimi, Jiro, and Sante passing by Touka and Yomo’s safehouse. That day only Touka that stay in the safehouse, Yomo went to gather food supplies.. She opens the door and welcomes them to have coffee. They refused her solicitation and claimed it’s just a quick visit. They brought several boxes that looks so heavy. Banjou tells Touka that inside the boxes are books that Kaneki had in their group. He heard Touka’s desire to establish the second Anteiku. He really support her dream but he can’t help much. Banjou want to return his Anti-Aogiri organization but he want to keep profile. Before his group want to return to Ghoul dark world, he want to gives Kaneki relics. His books that could be said as his memento. Books that left behind turn to be lost memento. After Kaneki attempt to save Anteiku, he really never return. He lost somewhere, condition unknown. Is he just leave everyone but still lives? Or worse, is he really died back then?  
Some time after Banjou’s group Touka unpack the pile of Kaneki’s books. There’s a book that stand out because a silver ribbon sticking out between pages of a book. She take out that book while she leans back against a wall behind prepare to read. She found that book’s title is “Keith Douglas: The Complete Poems by Keith Douglas - from Faber and Faber”. A particular page is stand out because there’s a bookmark inside. She opens the page while examines the bookmark. The design is looks like what Kaneki and Hinami gave for her birthday, but a bit different. Instead usiingWasurenagusa, this bookmark use Osmanthus flowers as the decoration.here’s a poem inside. A poem with a title ‘‘Vergissmeinnicht’. A german name for Forget-me-not flower. She reads that poem slowly, drown in words.

  
_Three weeks gone and the combatants gone_  
_returning over the nightmare ground_  
_we found the place again, and found_  
_the soldier sprawling in the sun._  
Touka unconciously shed tears from her eyetip. Her mind wanders the nightmare of Anteiku burning. Everyone scatters like wind, gone like drown in the pit pf the earth. She suddenly feels that soldier is like Kaneki. He must found by those doves on the pile of ghoul corpses. His body sprawled with the brightness of V14 lamps that blinds out like the sun. V14 is a tunnel deep inside Tokyo’s busy road that now holds scary nightmares for ghouls.  
_The frowning barrel of his gun_  
_overshadowing. As we came on_  
_that day, he hit my tank with one_  
_like the entry of a demon._  
The gun in this poem could be associate with kagune in ghoul world. Kagune is an essential ‘weapon’ for ghoul to forage, to kill, to survive. Emerge from Kahukou, this ‘additional limb’ could slices up bodies et cetera. She imagine his kagune stretch from his body, lifeless. His long red kagune just make him looks like a dead spiders with it’s leg lied. She try to not imagine his pitiful condition like that.

  
_Look. Here in the gunpit spoil_  
_the dishonoured picture of his girl_  
_who has put: Steffi. Vergissmeinnicht._  
_in a copybook gothic script._  
It’s starting to become tragic. This men died, left his lover? Steffi’s picture looks dishonored, maybe crumbled and spilled with his blood. The dried up blood scatter Steffi pretty face in his picture he keep. Vergissmeinnicht is the German world for Forget-me-not. It really emphasize that soldier really keep Steffi in his heart, never to forget and hopes Steffi would never forget him too. Is Kaneki like this? Is he keeps someone dear to him before? Is he did something reckless but romantic as keeps someone’s picture?  
As she remembers, after that failed date with Rize he never close to anyone. He looks like he keeps distance to everyone. But Touka remembers his strange gestures that carved to her memories. His attempt to understand ghoul with his awkward letter behind plant care guide. His concern when she near in drown in circle of revenge. First thing he did after that tortures, saves her? His gift.. That rabbit keychain.. That Wasurenagusa bookmark.. Is she someone he cares enough with those gesture? Is she somewhat be a Steffi to him?

  
_We see him almost with content,_  
_abased, and seeming to have paid_  
_and mocked at by his own equipment_  
_that's hard and good when he's decayed._  
It’s what those doves looks at Kaneki? Those doves would mocks his body like when a criminal finally died after execution. A body with kagune, the body of a ghoul. Being a ghoul is apparently a grave sin. Being a ghoul make you a criminal automatically by CCG standard. If… If he died, is his body just rotten up there? Decayed bodies and kagune crumpled up and mix up with other ghoul corpses?

  
_But she would weep to see today_  
_how on his skin the swart flies move;_  
_the dust upon the paper eye_  
_and the burst stomach like a cave._  
Steffi is so pitiful, she must weeps much saw his lover corpse. A body that decay so much with awful smell. Swart flies move around that rotten soldier. His lifeless eyes that looks as grey as paper. His stomach burst open, one of evidence of war tragedies. Her lover bodies been so bad she wouldn’t identify is isn’t from her picture he left behind. She didn’t believe her lovers didn’t keep his promise to survive. He left her alone in the war world.  
Touka feel much sympathy to Steffi. She want to hug Steffi right now. Tells her she will honored his lover bodies for the last time. Baths his rotten body as cleans as possible so those smell gone. Closes up his stomach and any wound to make his body as complete as possible. Surround him with much lilies in his coffin, let his eyes to finally rest. Buries his body so The Mother of Nature could embrace him for eternity. Touka stops his attempt to tries to better up situations. She feels much similarity of Steffi situation with her right now…

  
_For here the lover and killer are mingled_  
_who had one body and one heart._  
_And death who had the soldier singled_  
_has done the lover mortal hurt._  
Touka’s hand couldn’t holds that book anymore, her eyes is a real waterfall. She couldn’t thinks anything, the fogs of despair strangles her. She really feels her hopes that Kaneki still lives completely dissipates, gone high to atmosphere upthere…

  
_On the other side of Tokyo, Cochlea…_  
Arima knocks the door cell of 240th. There’s no answer behind. He decides to opens up the door with spare key he got from the head of Cochlea. Arima eyes up the prisoner of 240th He is stunned, he looks that he just cried. Arima asks slowly “Why are you crying?”  
“I-I just read this poem, ‘Vergissmeinnicht’.. I really sad with what tragedies that Steffi must endure. I feel somewhat that I like that German soldier..” mumbles 240 holds a poem book, “Keith Douglas: The Complete Poems by Keith Douglas - from Faber and Faber”.  
Arima just keep silence. He just keep his focus to 240. He lets him continues.  
“Is there’s things I left behind? Am I have families? Am I left someone like this Steffi in the past? I.. I want to inform them I survive. I still lives today…” stutters 240.  
Arima answers calmly, “No, I didn’t know. I just found you somewhere without any hints to track your past down. Just imagine there’s nothing behind in the past. Let’s move on 240, just starting a new okay?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's a drawing that I made to accompany this fic in my Tumblr. i hope you enjoys it as what i feel when I write it, and you are welcome share what you thought after reads it :)

**Author's Note:**

> IDK is really a flower seeds could pack like a cookies, but please imagine it possible. And how nice if every plant seeds you brought have a plant care sheet


End file.
